Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Fake News: Oops, Just Make That News!

It's time to Break It Down!

The exigencies of TrumpWorld are often disorienting. However, that’s just the way things work in/with the current administration. Or, as the Washington Post framed it this past weekend: “Scoop. Denial. Scoop confirmed. That’s business as usual for writers covering the Trump White House.”

As America zips like an unpredictably wayward shooting star, from one Trump inspired saga to the next, to whatever follows, we are challenged to maintain some fundamental sense of social equilibrium. The man most recently elected President of the United States, Donald J; Trump, has cultivated and highly refined a knack for what I like to call establishing a false flag narrative. For example, he vociferously declares a premise to be fake news one day, then subsequently, whether a day, a week, or some other undetermined later timeframe, reverses course. That’s pretty much the general idea.

According to the New York Times, the paper had a big scoop earlier this month. Based upon its sources, the paper reported that President Trump was considering re-staffing the legal team serving as his counsel in the investigation conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller, regarding whether Russia interfered with our 2016 election.

But wait! Enter the predictably unpredictable wayward shooting star, D.J. Trump. Within hours of the story’s release, Mr. Trump challenged the veracity of the story. He tweeted:

“The Failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating that I am unhappy with my legal team on the Russia case and am going to add another lawyer to help out. Wrong. I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow. They are doing a great job. . . . The writer of the story, Maggie Haberman, a Hillary flunky, knows nothing about me and is not given access.”

Classic Trump. Classic false flag narrative. As it turned out, this story, and a second one earlier this week (Last week now) updating Trump’s legal search turned out to be, shall we say, in a word, accurate. Last Thursday, Trump’s lead attorney, John Dowd, resigned three days after Trump added Joseph diGenova, a former federal prosecutor and sometimes Fox News commentator, to his legal team.

During the previous week, the Washington Post broke some news about a pending shakeup among White House advisers. Sources held that Trump had decided to remove national security adviser H.R. McMaster. A few hours later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders flatly rejected the very idea.

“Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster – contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes” at the National Security Council,” she tweeted.

That denial stood up for a week, until last Thursday when the White House announced McMaster’s departure and the President named his replacement in the name of former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, not surprisingly, also a periodic Fox News commentator. Fox News is trending as a major supplier of staff to the Trump administration. Who knew they had such hefty HR chops?

Of course the White House has it’s own rationalization. Officials contend it’s possible for events to change quickly, and a denial at one moment is, in fact, an accurate and truthful reflection of the immediate state of play. Until the president actually makes a decision, they say, a news story projecting the course of events can be speculative and even inaccurate. They add it is particularly true of personnel decisions because new events can intervene, undermining the President’s previous confidence in a top aide.

To make that point, one administration official alluded to President Obama’s expression of confidence in his embattled veterans affairs secretary, Eric K Shinseki, in May 2014. However, later in the same month, under mounting pressure and criticism of Shinseki from Congress, President Obama reversed course and accepted Shinseki’s resignation.

Also in support of the administration’s position, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in an interview that reporters have their own form of denial – by speculating about events and then never correcting the record when things don’t pan out, as they were first described. He added:

“I’ve seen plenty of reports saying so-and-so is going to be out by the end of the week, and then so-and-so is still there a few months later. No one admits they got it wrong.”

The arguments in favor of the administration notwithstanding, last weeks stories from The NYT and WP suggest that Trump’s penchant for claiming fake news just don’t hold water. Frequently, the news isn’t fake, just inconvenient, and ill timed from the White House’s point of view.

As a result, some White House reporters view the administration’s denials of otherwise well-sourced information with healthy skepticism.

Peter Baker, a veteran NYT reporter viewed it this way:

“Unfortunately, this happens often enough that reporters have learned that we can’t trust the denials. It doesn’t help anyone when reporters have to assume that what the White House tells us may not be true or that a White House statement will prove inoperative just days or even hours later.”

Maggie Haberman, who with Mr. Baker, co-wrote the stories about Trump’s legal team, reacted to Trump’s denials with what amounted to the verbal equivalent of a sigh.

“He denied (the two stories) both times,” she tweeted on Thursday. “It all stems from him. People can focus on staff and I certainly have, but at the end of the day it’s the president who runs things this way and makes the choices to deny true stories and attempt to confuse people.”

The denial tactic is an enduring staple of the Trump administration. As the post-election transition ensued, a spokesman denied a Washington Post report that General Jim Mattis would be his nominee for secretary of defense; Trump confirmed it within hours at a public appearance. In October, the White House denied a Post story that Trump would decertify the Iran nuclear agreement as not in the national interest. Surprise…he ended up doing so.

Some have speculated that all this could just be Trump’s mechanism for confusing an issue and playing to his eager-to-believe-anything-he-says-base. Reporters have surmised that Trump sometimes employs denials to maintain an orderly calm until it’s no longer possible to do so. In fact, some outlets reported Thursday that Trump was angry that Bolton walked through the White House’s front gate and was spotted by reporters, thereby spoiling a big “reveal.”

The mere introduction of something that turns out to be false into our information system means that it’s out there, and the vast majority of people will never hear the correction. Nikki Usher, an associate professor in the school of media and public affairs at George Washington University said:

“Even introducing something that turns out to be false into our information system means that it’s out there, and the vast majority of people will never hear the correction. Or if they do hear the correction and acknowledge it to be factually accurate, we now know this doesn’t even matter because their enduring partisanship remains. It is the best tactic, actually, to introduce false information into the news ecosystem because most people will never notice that it has been corrected. If they do, they’ll find reasons to dismiss the correction as insignificant, leaving their underlying support intact.”

When all is said and done, don’t be discouraged when Trump cries fake news; relax, exhale, and before you know it, it will simply be news. FakeNews: Oops, Just Make That News!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

As The Fox World Turns: Mueller Attacked, Smith Claps Back, and Peters Exits

It's time to Break It Down!

Fox News, also known as Fox News Channel (FNC) is a basic cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. The network was created by Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who hired former Republican Party media consultant and CNBC executive Roger Ailes as its founding CEO.

FNC has been accused of biased reporting, promoting the Republican Party and shilling for a variety of conservative causes. In many circles, much of what appears on the network is not actually considered news. Not surprisingly, unless you are immersed in the FNC orbit, you already knew that. While critics and detractors contend the channel is detrimental to the integrity of news overall, FNC employees retort that its news reporting division operates independently of its opinion and commentary programming division; they have in turn denied bias in news reporting.

For the past 14 months, since Donald Trump has been President, FNC has emerged as the President’s virtual lifeline, inspiration, and cultivator of a cult-like following. It has been frequently reported that Trump starts his mornings with a healthy dose of Fox and Friends. His subsequent tweets often take on the tenor of whatever rant the Fox hosts started the morning by hammering. Recently Sean Hannity has excoriated Robert Mueller. Monday, for the first time, Trump actually used Mueller’s name in a full-frontal attack. To turn a phrase, as usual, Trump and FNC, at least the opinion and commentary segment are simpatico.

Shepard Smith, who serves in the capacity of FNC’s chief news anchor, and who signed a new contract Thursday, expressed his gratitude and excitement at being given the opportunity to continue leading the news division. He said:

“I am incredibly proud to be part of a group of journalists who helped build the Fox news division from scratch 22 years ago and extremely thankful for the opportunity to continue to lead our breaking news coverage for years to come. Our team’s commitment to delivering facts to our loyal viewers in context and with perspective, without fear or favor, is unwavering. The investment that Mr. Murdoch has infused into our already strong news division affords us endless opportunities. I am excited for the future and honored to continue to call Fox News my home.”

It appears the proverbial, all Trump, all the time, love fest has begun to take a toll on the collaborative interworking dynamics at the vaunted network. Mr. Smith was one of the network’s original hires in 1996. He has been one of the few; I would say rare, Fox employees to eschew the company’s party line (pun intended) when it comes to Trump. In fact, he has gone so far as to contradict the President’s claims that the investigation into possible Russian interference in 2016 was a Democratic “hoax.” Smith said on air in February:

“This is an American investigation. And this is not a hoax. The Russians interfered. The Russians were sanctioned by Congress, the President has not put those into place, and the question is why,” he said at the time.

The well-regarded anchor, who Rupert Murdoch described as an “exemplary journalist,” stated firmly, the line between news and opinion on the network is clearly drawn – and he knows which side he’s on.

Oh yes, I mentioned the stresses of push-pull, yin-yang, and the resulting toll. In an interview with Time magazine last Thursday, Smith compared the networks news and opinions divisions this way:

“We serve different masters. We work for different reporting chains, we have different rules. They don’t really have rules on the opinion side. They can say whatever they want. I get it that some of our opinion programming is there strictly to be entertaining. I get that. I don’t work there. I wouldn’t work there. I don’t want to sit around and yell at each other and talk about your philosophy and my philosophy. That sounds horrible to me.”

He did not directly call out colleagues such as Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham, by name. But there is little doubt any of them missed the hard inside fastball, around zipper level. Moreover, if you’ve ever listened to Sean Hannity, and I admit, since the ascendancy of Trump to the throne…I mean, to the Presidency, I have periodically glanced “over there” to see how differently they cover the news of the day, and occasionally to see what passes for excuses for not covering Trump’s latest hijinks, you know that about all you had to do was count down 3, 2, 1, before he’d utter some variation of a Trump inspired response.

OK, so it took until the next day, but sure enough, on Friday, Hannity tweeted (of course he did…Trump must have been so proud) that Smith was “clueless” about what Hannity does on his show each night. Hannity said he counted Smith as a friend and respected his ability to deliver breaking news, but he wrote that Smith held “political views I do not share.” In the past, Hannity has called Smith "so anti-Trump."

Laura Ingraham is the most recent addition to the FNC prime time lineup. She tweeted that she “always liked” Smith, but thought his comments critical of Fox News opinion programming were “inconsiderate & inaccurate.” At first blush, that sounded downright snow flakey. How could she possibly be so sensitive and still be a stout representative of the Right? Fake news, I guess.

But there’s more. Yesterday, Ralph Peters, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who served as a military analyst for FNC, in announcing his departure from the network denounced the outlet as a “propaganda machine,” devoted to President Trump. He went on to add that FNC was:

“Wittingly harming our system of government for profit.”

In his stunning internal exit memo, Peters said he felt compelled to explain his leaving the organization to his colleagues before skewering the network he has called home for years. He distilled his thoughts in a nuclear fashion, thusly:

“Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer. I swore to support and defend the Constitution, and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers. Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed.”

In Peters’ letter, first reported on by BuzzFeed, and independently confirmed by CNN, Peters said he felt FNC “degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices” to morphing into a “mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethnically ruinous administration.”

Peters called out the Fox News opinion hosts’ relentless attacks on the FBI, Justice Department, intelligence agencies, and other branches of government. He characterized Fox News as harming the country in exchange for making a profit. He went on to emphasize that his criticism did not apply to Fox Business, or the hard news reporters, whom he described as some of the best men and women in the business.

Naturally, FNC came to its own defense. The network issued the following statement last night:

“Ralph Peters is entitled to his opinion despite the fact that he’s choosing to use it as a weapon in order to gain attention. We are extremely proud of our top-rated hosts and all of our opinion programming.”

Clearly, FNC has faced some degree of strife and criticism internally. In October, “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace told the Associated Press he was bothered by how some of his colleagues on the opinion side of the network used their platform to attack the media. At this point, it may not be much more than a drip, drip, drip. But the frequency just may be increasing. From my perspective, that’s a good thing. “As The Fox World Turns: Mueller Attacked, Smith Claps Back, and PetersExits!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Another Week, Another Swamp Denizen, or Two, or Three, Drained

It's time to Break It Down!

A week ago yesterday Donald Trump’s Chief Economic Adviser, Gary Cohn exited TrumpWorld. Yesterday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired by tweet. There are many reasons that could have prompted the President to unceremoniously terminate Tillerson's employment, ranging from his alleged reference to his boss as an “effi’n (full spelling) moron,” (which he subsequently refused to deny), to his opposing opinion about the efficacy of proceeding with plans for Trump to meet directly with North Korea’s Kim Jung-un. In any event, while that was indeed the main event, there was both a bonus, and a double-bonus that were also pretty good; I suppose that’s why they’re called bonus and double bonus.

In addition to firing Tillerson, the administration also fired his top spokesman, Steve Goldstein. Shortly after the tweetocide, Goldstein noted that Tillerson had not spoken directly to the President about the move. He said:

“The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues. The Secretary did not speak with the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted.”

Goldstein, it appears, did not get the memo. It’s true Donald Trump appreciates loyalty. However, the complete thought is, Donald Trump appreciates people who are loyal to him. Mr. Goldstein’s display of allegiance to Tillerson, who’d already been dismissed, was clearly a deeply misplaced gesture. Nevertheless, he took his own termination with high honor and nobility. He said in his post termination statement:

“I was proud to speak on behalf of the Secretary of State to the American people and allies throughout the world and this has been the honor of a lifetime.

It’s within the purview, you are appointed by the administration and you are appointed for the time being. That is what is listed on your commission and it is determined by the White House who they want in these roles.

I don’t have regret, other than you always want to try to do more, but I feel proud of what we achieved and I am so impressed by the Secretary of State. He is a truly great man.

I look forward to getting more rest and hopefully winning an indoor rowing competition.”

In yesterday’s final Trump firing – strike three as it were, Trump’s ‘body man’ John McEntee was fired abruptly, and escorted from the White House for security reasons, according to the Wall Street Journal. Representative Elijah Cummings, Democrat – MD wrote about McEntee’s firing:

“This recent report about President Trump’s personal assistant is just the latest indication that the process for vetting White House employees for security issues is seriously flawed.”

Last week, Trump said there is no chaos in the White House, just lots of great energy. Inexplicably, his supporters agree. I do not. I cannot. Full stop!

As 2016 Donald Trump said repeatedly, “Drain the swamp.” That, of course, was the thrust of last week’s post, (https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/03/07/draining-the-swamp-one-former-trump-appointee-at-a-time/). In a not so surprising way, it’s as though this week is a déjà vu all over again, a “Groundhog Day” the movie, kind of week. The thing is that has quickly become the legacy of TrumpWorld.

A great deal has been made of the tumult, turbulence, and turmoil that unfold on a regular basis, almost solely as a result of the fact that the current occupant of the White House…is the current occupant of the White House. He claims he is ‘Making America Great Again,” and that he is the only one who can. His supporters and spinners insist that he is unduly targeted and unfairly attacked because of his “unconventional” tactics and unfiltered comments. The other 60+% of Americans, including the more than three million more who voted for his opponent rather than him, argue that his rhetoric is crass, demeaning, and filled with hateful flourishes, while his policies are designed to segment and separate groups into competing, often near-warring factions.

George Orwell warned in his dystopian novel, “1984,” that authoritarianism begins with language. In that setting, “newspeak” was language twisted to deceive. From the very onset, Team Trump attempted to use news and language to deceive Americans. Trump’s first Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, alleged on his first day on the job, in his first instance behind the podium, that Trump’s Inauguration was the largest ever. That was a deception, a claim that if made by anyone not representing President Trump, would simply have been called a lie. The administration would go on to double down on this fanciful misrepresentation when Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, characterized Spicer’s depiction as “alternative facts. A rose by any other name, or in that case a lie euphemistically framed.

The President hired Spicer and Conway, so it is understandable that they shill for their guy. After all, they owe him their loyalty, which he unabashedly demands, and their jobs, from which he has been known to threaten to dismiss staffers. However, day before yesterday, the House Intelligence Committee opted summarily to end its Russia investigation. They declined to even consult with the Democrats on the committee before doing so. In explaining the rationale for their decision, spokesmen for the committee said they found no evidence of collusion by the Trump Campaign with the Russians, and that despite the findings of the U.S. intelligence community that the Russians endeavored to help Donald Trump’s campaign, while simultaneously working to undermine Clinton’s, the Committee concluded that the intelligence agencies were simply wrong on that singular point.

Unlike Trump’s appointees, the House members on this committee are elected, and have taken an oath to represent and take actions that reflect the will of the people who sent them to Washington. I suppose they either believe they were elected by the 38% (Trump supporters), and surely some of them were, or that they to are obligated to render fealty to Trump, just as his appointees seem to feel they must do. But, I digress. This brief edition is about the Tillerson imbroglio.

Remember last may when James Comey discovered he was fired from TV, while talking to a group of FBI Agents in Los Angeles? Well, Tillerson’s episode yesterday reflected the next phase, direct from Trump’s favorite social media platform…his Twitter Account. “Another Week, Another SwampDenizen, or Two, or Three, Drained!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post: